How To Stop Gout Attacks: What You Should Have
What you should always have at home is some ibuprofen like Motrin or Advil and/or some colchicine. You should always tell your doctor to prescribe you with some colchicine and always have it ready for the period of the gout attack. Well, no one wants to be stuck with his or her doctor being away on holidays or on a vacation.
If youre on febuxostat or allopurinol, the chances are, you are going to take a particular dose every day as a uric acid-lowering therapy for a long period. Furthermore, this is for you to always have that particular medication handy. However, this is not the same as the colchicine, as it is widely used in treating gout attacks, and the medication will be stopped once you already feel better.
The colchicine can be effective when you take it in 12-24 hours after the gout attack. Also, the colchicine may be a cause of some major gut conditions if you take them in high dosage. Not just that, it is important to follow the recommended dosage of your doctor as well. For most of the people, this just means that you are taking not more than 2-4 tablets per day. Do you have no colchicine? It is okay, as long as you have ibuprofen.
What Can Trigger A Gout Attack
Several things can cause the crystals to shake loose into your joint cavity, triggering an attack. These include:
- a knock or injury to the joint
- an illness that may make you feverish
- having an operation
- having an unusually large meal, especially a fatty meal
- drinking too much alcohol
- dehydration
- starting urate lowering therapy, especially at a high dose, or not taking your treatment regularly each day.
Gout Remedies For Pain
1. Drink More WaterThe more water you drink, the more level youre able to keep the uric acid levels in your body. When you dont drink enough water, the uric acid levels rise and cause more pain. Drink water throughout the day to keep the levels normalized and to reduce pain.
2. Apply a Cold CompressApplying a cold compress to the affected area can help ease pain and inflammation. Apply the cold compress to the area for 20-30 minutes several times a day- you can make one using a bag of crushed ice or a pack of peas and a dish cloth.
3. Rest and RelaxIf youve had a gout attack, one of the best things you can do is rest your body. Stress can aggravate gout, so relax as much as you can- watch Netflix, call a friend, read a book or listen to music to get you into a relaxed state. Whatever you do, dont go on any long walks or stand for a long time- this will make the pain much worse.
4. MedicationIf you feel the symptoms of a gout attack coming on, use what you have on hand right away. Over-the-counter ibuprofen or naproxen will help relieve the pain, but never take Aspirin, which can actually make your symptoms worse. If youve been prescribed an anti-inflammatory by your doctor for your gout flare-ups, make sure to take the recommended dose. If you have frequent pain and flare-ups, you may be prescribed a daily medication of a uric acid lowering drug.
If youve been dealing with gout, we hope these prevention tips and remedies help ease the pain and discomfort!
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How To Prevent Gout Attacks In The Feet
For some individuals, a gout flare-up may occur frequently. But for others, attacks might happen as seldom as every couple of years. Since you cant always predict when a future gout attack will strike, the best course of action is to prevent any future gout attack in your feet. If youre wondering how to prevent gout, Vionic has you covered.
Its always best to check with your healthcare provider before attempting any at-home remedies. However, a few healthy lifestyle changes are believed to help keep gout attacks at bay, including staying hydrated, eating a nutritious diet, limiting alcohol consumption, staying active, and taking gout medications. Heres what you should know about each approach.
How Should This Medicine Be Used
Colchicine comes as a tablet and solution to take by mouth with or without food. When colchicine is used to prevent gout attacks or to treat FMF, it is usually taken once or twice a day. When colchicine is used to relieve the pain of a gout attack, one dose is usually taken at the first sign of pain and a second, smaller dose is usually taken one hour later. If you do not experience relief or have another attack within several days after treatment, talk to your doctor before taking additional doses of medication. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take colchicine exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
It is important to use an oral syringe to accurately measure the correct amount of liquid for each dose do not use a household spoon.
If you are taking colchicine to treat FMF, your doctor may start you on a low dose and gradually increase your dose. Your doctor may decrease your dose if you experience side effects.
Colchicine can prevent attacks of gout and control FMF only as long as you take the medication. Continue to take colchicine even if you feel well. Do not stop taking colchicine without talking to your doctor.
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Some Side Effects Can Be Serious If You Experience Any Of The Following Symptoms Stop Taking Colchicine And Call Your Doctor Immediately:
- muscle pain or weakness
- numbness or tingling in the fingers or toes
- unusual bruising or bleeding
- sore throat, fever, chills, and other signs of infection
- weakness or tiredness
- paleness or grayness of the lips, tongue, or palms
Colchicine may decrease fertility in men. Talk to your doctor about the risks of taking colchicine.
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by phone .
What Are The Symptoms Of Gout
An episode of gout is called a gout attack. Gout attacks are very painful and can happen quite suddenly, often overnight. During a gout attack, symptoms in the affected joint may include:
- Intense pain.
- Tenderness, even to light touch, such as from a bedsheet.
- Warmth, or a feeling like the joint is on fire.
- How long does a gout attack last?
A gout attack can last a week or two. Between gout attacks, you may have no symptoms at all.
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Risk Factors For Gout
You are Mori or Pacific
Many Mori and Pacific people have genes that make it harder to get rid of uric acid from their bodies.
Your doctor has told you you have high uric acid levels
Uric acid is a chemical that everyone has in their body. Some people have higher uric acid levels than others. High levels of uric acid can turn into gout.
You can reduce your uric acid levels by keeping active, staying fit, keeping your weight down, eating a healthy diet and not drinking beer and sugary drinks.
You have a family history of gout
If people in your family have gout then you have a higher chance of getting gout.
Place Ice On The Problematic Joint
Almost always medications will need some time to start reacting. Meanwhile, you can place a bag of ice on the problematic joint. This is more than just essential when it comes to keeping the pain under control. Of course, if you want to know how to stop gout attack, you will have to know that you must keep ice for 30 minutes per a day. Of course, this should be stretched in shorter intervals, so keep the ice several times for 5-10 minutes.
Ice isnt the key solution, but it is known that cold will reduce the blood vessels and the pain receptors while reducing the actual inflammation. As such, you can expect relief almost instantly. In addition, ice will also cool down the joint, obviously.
Dont try to prevent a gout attack using this method. I must add that this is simply an addition while waiting for the medications to start reacting. The method itself is unable to prevent an attack because the inflammation didnt occur at that moment.
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Take Caution With Supplements For Gout
As for the many supplements and other purported home remedies available for gout, including turmeric and bromelain, there is no significant evidence backing them up as of now, and theres no adequate evidence showing that supplements have any effect even comparable to that of medicines.
From my point of view, says Dr. Fields, the home remedy concept to gout is often harmful because it keeps patients from taking medications that we know are effective.
Can Losing Weight Help Gout
If you are overweight, gradual weight loss can help lower uric acid levels and reduce the risk of gout attacks. However, it is important to avoid fasting or crash dieting, where you go without adequate food for long periods and lose weight rapidly. This type of dieting can actually increase uric acid levels and trigger a gout attack. A combination of balanced healthy eating and regular physical activity is the best way to lose weight safely. Talk to your doctor or see a dietitian for advice.
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Can Gout Be Cured
Cure is a very strong word, but we can certainly treat the gout and put it in remission by giving the treatment as mentioned, Dr. Meysami says.
Whether to use the word cure may be a matter of semantics: A patients gout tendency may never go away but can be well-controlled. Treatments for gout are extremely good, and the vast majority of gout patients can expect to be cured, Dr. Fields says. Cured is in quotes since it means that gout flares can completely disappear, but the person would need to stay on their medicine.
Gout progression, though, certainly isnt inevitable, which is close to the best news any gout patient can hear.
What Can I Do On My Own To Prevent Gout Attacks
Gout is caused by high uric acid levels. If theres too much uric acid in our bodies, it can build up in joints and cause an acute gout attack. Some people manage to keep their levels of uric acid down by eating less meat, fish and seafood and drinking less alcohol.
Uric acid is released when substances called purines are broken down. Purines are mainly produced inside the body, but they are also found in many different types of foods that we eat. Fish, meat and seafood are especially rich in purines. People with gout are sometimes advised to stick to a strict low-purine diet. But its not clear exactly how effective that kind of diet is.
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Foods You Can Eat In Moderation
Aside from organ meats, game meats and certain fish, most meats can be consumed in moderation. You should limit yourself to 46 ounces of these a few times per week .
They contain a moderate amount of purines, which is considered to be 100200 mg per 100 grams. Thus, eating too much of them may trigger a gout attack.
- Meats: These include chicken, beef, pork and lamb.
- Other fish: Fresh or canned salmon generally contains lower levels of purines than most other fish.
Summary: Foods you should eat with gout include all fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, eggs and most beverages. Limit your consumption of non-organ meats and fish like salmon to servings of 46 ounces a few times weekly.
Dietary Supplements For Gout Management And Prevention
Talk to your doctor about any supplements or vitamins you take or may want to take. Supplements and other remedies may interfere with medication.
Vitamin C supplements are sometimes recommended for people with gout.
One study found that taking 500 mg of vitamin C per day had a mild uric-acidlowering effect. Yet its not clear whether vitamin C helps relieve gout symptoms.
A 2013 study in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism showed that supplementing with 500 mg of vitamin C for eight weeks did not significantly lower uric acid levels in patients with gout.
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Home Remedies For Long
The American College of Rheumatology recommends a couple of lifestyle modifications for preventing future attacks of gout:
1) Lose weight if you need to. Being overweight can increase uric acid levels as well as put pressure on the joints.
2) Follow a low-purine diet. Another effective way to reduce uric acid levels is to follow a low-purine diet. Purines are organic compounds that break down into uric acid. Following a low-purine diet means avoiding the big four alcohol, shellfish, red meat, and high fructose corn syrup.
Limiting these foods is also beneficial for heart health and people with gout are at higher risk for heart disease.
But dont go overboard with dietary changes to relieve gout pain though, advises Dr. Fields. You can find lists of thousands of different foods youre not supposed to have if you have gout. Those recommendations are impossible to follow and can make you crazy.
How Will Gout Affect Me
Attacks can vary from person to person. Some people only have an attack every few years, while others have attacks every few months.
Without medication attacks tend to happen more often and other joints can become affected.
Having high urate levels and gout for a long time can lead to other health problems, including:
- narrowing of the arteries – which can lead to an increased risk of stroke or heart attacks or other heart problems
- osteoarthritis, which occurs when the urate crystals and hard tophi cause joint damage.
- an increased risk of developing kidney disease or worsening of the condition if you already have it
- kidney stones
- an increased risk of some cancers, especially prostate cancer
- mental health problems, including depression
- underactive thyroid
- erectile dysfunction in men.
If you take medication to lower your urate levels, and have a healthy diet and lifestyle, most of the damage and complications caused by gout can be stopped.
Treatments for gout are incredibly successful. There are two main parts to treating gout, which are:
- treating the acute attack
- treatments to prevent future attacks.
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Diagnosis Treatment And Prevention Of Gout
BARRY L. HAINER, MD ERIC MATHESON, MD and R. TRAVIS WILKES, MD, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
Am Fam Physician. 2014 Dec 15 90:831-836.
Gout is the most common inflammatory arthropathy, affecting more than 8 million Americans.1 Gout accounts for approximately 7 million ambulatory visits in the United States annually at a cost of nearly $1 billion.2 Risk factors include genetics, age, sex, and diet.2,3 These factors may contribute to a high serum uric acid level, which is currently defined as a value of at least 6.8 mg per dL .4,5
SORT: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Oral corticosteroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are equally effective in the treatment of acute gout.
| Clinical recommendation | ||
|---|---|---|
|
To prevent recurrent gout, patients should reduce their consumption of high-fructose corn syrupsweetened soft drinks, fruit juices, and fructose-rich vegetables and fruits . Reducing consumption of meat and seafood, and increasing consumption of dairy products help reduce the frequency of gouty symptoms. Consumption of low-fat or nonfat dairy products may help reduce the frequency of flares. |
A = consistent, good-quality patient-oriented evidence B = inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence C = consensus, disease-oriented evidence, usual practice, expert opinion, or case series. For information about the SORT evidence rating system, go to .
Stay Away From Alcohol
While conventional wisdom might make you think taking a drink will help you relax or even reduce the pain you feel, alcohol, especially beer, can make your attacks worse. Alcohol is known to contain purines, which metabolize in the body and produce uric acid, which causes attacks. Consuming alcohol thus limits your bodies ability to dispose of uric acid from your body, potentially increasing levels.
Finally, its important to be patient. When an attack happens, it can be painful and uncomfortable, but the key is to remain patient and wait it out. In the mean time, these steps can help you cope with a gout attack while you wait to see your doctor or wait for his recommendations.
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Treating An Attack At Home
In some cases, an acute gout attack is an emergency. If you have a fever as well as severe pain and swelling, seek immediate medical care, as it could signal a serious infection. Having said that, there are some things you can do to treat a gout episode at home.
At-home therapies for gout in the feet include:
- Icing the inflamed joint
- Drinking lots of water
- Over-the-counter NSAIDs , such as ibuprofen or aspirin
In the days and weeks following a gout attack, wearing closed-toe shoes may seem intolerable, especially if its your big toe thats inflamed. We recommend getting a pair of comfortable sandals, like the supportive orthotic styles from Vionic.
Why Is This Medication Prescribed
Colchicine is used to prevent gout attacks in adults. Colchicine is also used to relieve the pain of gout attacks when they occur. Colchicine is also used to treat familial Mediterranean fever in adults and children 4 years of age and older. Colchicine is not a pain reliever and cannot be used to treat pain that is not caused by gout or FMF. Colchicine is in a class of medications called anti-gout agents. It works by stopping the natural processes that cause swelling and other symptoms of gout and FMF.
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